NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan and Tsutomu Takebe, Special Advisor to the Japan-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentary Alliance

After four editions, the annual Vietnam-Japan festival has left good impression on Vietnamese people and boosted their understanding about Japan, said National Assembly (NA) Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan.

Ngan made the remark when receiving Tsutomu Takebe, Special Advisor to the Japan-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentary Alliance, in Hanoi on January 29.

She praised the advisor’s contributions to bilateral ties via initiating cultural exchange activities, which have been successfully organised in recent years.

Ngan said the Vietnam-Japan festival taking place in January this year served as a meaningful curtain-raiser for a host of events in celebration of 45-year relations between the two countries.

The Vietnam NA highly values joint projects coordinated by Takebe, such as the Vietnam – Japan University, Vietnam-Japan festival, and other trade connection and human resources training programmes, stated the top legislator. 

For his part, Takebe lauded the Vietnam U23 football team’s efforts to secure the second place at the recent Asian Football Confederation U23 Championship despite unfavorable weather.

He also congratulated Vietnam on successful hosting two major regional events – the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week 2017 and the 26th Annual Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum.

Highlighting the friendship and cooperation between the two countries’ people as a basis of Vietnam – Japan relations, the advisor said 250,000 Vietnamese students in Japan are key to the future development of the ties.

Agreeing with her guest, Ngan said in addition to State and parliamentary diplomacy, people-to-people exchange is also necessary, adding that the NA supports activities held by the Vietnam – Japan Friendship Parliamentarians' Group and the Japan-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentary Alliance. She said she believes with determination of both sides, these cultural exchange programmes will help bilateral ties move toward effectiveness.

On the occasion, Takebe gifted his host a book titled “Kyojinka - national capacity enhancement in response to disasters in Japan, Asia and the world”.

President gives Tet gifts to workers in Binh Duong

President Tran Dai Quang and a delegation of officials on January 30 visited and presented Tet gifts to workers in the southern province of Binh Duong. 

Binh Duong is home to over one million workers, of whom 85 percent are from other localities. An estimated 140,000 workers working in the province will not return home for the year’s biggest traditional festival due to financial reason. 

The provincial administration is working with the local Federation of Labour to help the workers celebrate a happy new year holiday. 

Thousands of train and bus tickets, millions of Tet gifts and hundreds of charity houses have been presented to needy workers and labourers.

Tet programmes have also been conducted for workers to celebrate the festival away from home.

President Quang hailed the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour and its Binh Duong provincial chapter, units and individuals for taking care of local workers, particularly the needy ones and those from other localities.

He asked the provincial authorities to further improve the spiritual and physical living conditions for the workers, particularly in industrial parks, economic zones, and processing areas.

The same day, the President also visited officers and soldiers of the 4th Corp who are stationed in Di An town, Binh Duong province.

President pays pre-Tet visit to Coast Guard Zone 3

President Tran Dai Quang paid a pre-Tet visit to the Coast Guard Zone 3 High Command in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau on January 30. 

President Tran Dai Quang praised the role played by the coast guard force in protecting national sovereignty over sea and islands during a pre-Tet visit to the Coast Guard Zone 3 High Command in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau on January 30.  

Talking with the officers and soldiers, the President said the marine police force have performed well its tasks in helping the Central Military Commission and the Defence Ministry propose to the Party and the State timely and accurate policies and solutions to handling complicated incidents at sea, contributing to maintaining a peaceful and stable environment for national development. 

The President also lauded the force’s good work in monitoring the operation of foreign vessels and protecting maritime economic activities, as well as in the fight against smuggling and trade fraud, and rescue operations at sea. 

He asked the marine police force and the Coast Guard Zone 3 to continue monitoring the situation in close coordination with the navy, border guard, coastal military zones, and all-level Party Committees and authorities, especially in supervising foreign ships and uncovering plots and activities of hostile forces and criminals. 

President Quang also asked the marine police force to step up international cooperation, exchange information about violations of Vietnam’s waters with their counterparts through hotlines, and keep close monitoring of the operation of Vietnamese ships abroad. He told the force to prevent ships in the blacklist of the UN Security Council anchoring at Vietnam’s seaports.

In 2017, the Coast Guard Zone 3 received 934 Vietnamese fishermen from Indonesia who had been captured for illegal fishing in the country’s waters. 

In November, the unit also rescued 52 people stranded on islands and offshore fishing farms during typhoon Damrey. 

On this occasion, President Quang visited and presented gifts to families of social welfare policies in Ba Ria-Vung Tau.

Congratulations to re-elected President of Czech Republic

President Tran Dai Quang on January 28 sent a message of congratulations to Milos Zeman on his re-election as President of the Czech Republic for the 2018-2022 tenure.

Vietnam and the Czech Republic set up diplomatic ties on February 2, 1950.

Vietnam was among 12 priority markets included in the Czech national export strategy during 2012-20, which was announced in 2012.

More than 60,000 Vietnamese are living in the Czech Republic. On July 3, 2013, the Czech Government appointed a Czech representative of Vietnamese origin to the Council of Ethnic Minorities, thus recognising the Czech Vietnamese community as an ethnic minority group in the country.

Lao, VN minister vow cooperation to fight crime

General Secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party and President Bounnhang Volachith has urged the Ministries of Public Security of Việt Nam and Laos to further their co-operation in fighting crime, especially organised, trans-national, drug and high-tech crimes. 

At a reception for Vietnamese Minister of Public Security Sen. Lieut. Gen. Tô Lâm in Vientiane on Saturday, the Lao leader praised the outcomes of co-operation between the two ministries in the recent past.

Minister Lâm said Vietnamese people in general and the police force in particular are grateful for the valuable support of the Lao people in the past struggle for national liberation as well as for the present cause of national defence and the country’s efforts to ensure social order and safety. 

The Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security will do its utmost to promote comprehensive co-operation with its Lao counterpart, meeting requirements and tasks in the new situation, in order to consolidate the special friendship and comprehensive co-operation between the two countries, for the sake of peace, stability and development in the region and the world at large. 

Lâm called on the Lao leader to create favourable conditions for competent agencies of the two ministries to intensify their collaboration in fighting crime and protecting national security and safety in each nation. 

During their talks earlier the same day, Lâm and his Lao counterpart Somkeo Silavong reviewed the close and effective co-operation between the two sides in 2017, including the celebration of the Việt Nam-Laos Friendship and Solidarity Year. 

They signed a co-operation plan for 2018, under which the two sides will maintain high-level meetings between leaders of the two ministries, partner with each other to fight hostile forces, implement international agreements and treaties to which both are parties, and consult and support each other at regional and international forums on combating crime.

PM urges Bac Lieu to focus on high-tech shrimp farming

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc speaks at a working session with leaders of Bac Lieu. 

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has asked the Mekong Delta province of Bac Lieu to promote green development based on fishing, aquaculture and seafood processing, with a focus on high-tech shrimp farming. 

The PM met with leaders of Bac Lieu province, the country’s second largest shrimp producer, on January 29 ahead of the investment promotion conference in Bac Lieu on January 30. 

Bac Lieu should become the country’s industrial centre of shrimp in terms of both shrimp fry and processed shrimp, he said, suggesting the locality employ methodical planning for the sector.

Despite limitations and challenges, with the biggest being the adverse impacts of climate change and sea level rises, Bac Lieu still has better conditions than mountainous localities to grow, PM Phuc said. 

“As one of the largest shrimp producers nationwide, Bac Lieu should not be a “low-lying area” of the Mekong Delta,” he stressed, adding that with its advantages in shrimp breeding, renewable energy and agriculture, the province needs to swiftly balance its budget. 

Apart from setting forth planning on shrimp farming, solar and wind power development, Bac Lieu should promote its tourism strength by organising package tours, completing the tourism ecosystem, diversifying products and connecting with major tourism projects, he said. 

The leader also asked Bac Lieu to enhance its connectivity with the Mekong Delta and Ho Chi Minh City. 

Applauding Bac Lieu’s achievements in 2017, PM Phuc urged the province to improve the ethics of public servants, prevent group interests, and strive to fulfill its socio-economic targets for 2018. 

Bac Lieu has an aquaculture area of 1,290 sq.km. With a coastline of 56 km, three seaports and an economic exclusive zone of 20,742 sq.km, the province has favourable conditions to develop agriculture, fishing and fishery logistics. 

Agriculture accounts for 43.14 percent of the province’s gross regional domestic product. Each year, the locality harvests about 210,000 tonnes of aquatic products, of which 115,000 tonnes are shrimp, with shrimp export turnover exceeding 527 million USD. 

Last year, the province’s economy grew by 6.5 percent and per capita income reached 37.5 million VND (1,650 USD). The locality contributed more than 2.8 trillion VND (132.2 million USD) to the State budget. 

However, climate change and sea level rises caused great losses to local agriculture in recent years.

NA Vice Chairwoman Phong encourages Dien Bien border locals

NA Vice Chairwoman Tong Thi Phong exchanges with local students in Sin Thau commune. (Photo: baodienbienphu.com.vn)

Politburo member and National Assembly (NA) Vice Chairwoman Tong Thi Phong has encouraged locals and officials in Sin Thau, a border commune in Muong Nhe district of the northern mountainous province of Dien Bien, to promote unity for the improvement of local socio-economic development.

The NA official continued her working visit to Dien Bien yesterday, arriving in Sin Thau commune to meet with local authorities and people.

Politburo member Phong suggested that Sin Thau authorities should focus on positive propaganda and mobilising locals in the promotion of a restructuring of the farming industry, protecting and zoning for the regeneration of forests, and promoting border trade.

On the occasion, members of her delegation and local authorities provided VND100 million to Sin Thuy commune's Studying Fund. They also offered presents, essentials, scholarships, and breeding cows to local students and disadvantaged households.

Later the same day, Politburo member Phong and her delegation visited A Pa Chai Border Station and offered incense at Martyr Tran Van Tho’s Memorial at Leng Su Sin Border Station in Leng Su Sin commune.

Vietnamese news agencies praised for connecting NA and people

NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan and delegates at the meeting (Photo: kinhtenongthon.com.vn) 

National Assembly (NA) Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan has praised news agencies for keeping people updated on the operations of the NA.

Addressing a January 29 meeting in Hanoi with news agencies ahead of the Lunar New Year, the NA leader also spoke highly of their contributions to collecting public opinions, thus helping NA bodies act timely in the handling of pressing issues arising in society.

She said that the NA would create more favourable conditions for news agencies to provide information related to the NA’s activities, asking that the agencies disseminate information regarding the NA’s policies, laws, and resolutions to the public.

As the press is now facing a huge challenge from the rapid development of social media, she stressed that the press must strive to serve as a major source of reliable news for voters.

Therefore, she called on press agencies to overhaul their operations in order to make their products more attractive for readers.